Protection
by Reincarnations
Summary: Renji is a couple minutes late to help his daughter, Ichika, train, which caused a certain event to take place.


**I'm revising this story because I got a couple ideas for the sequel, and some parts needed to be edited for that purpose. Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Over ten years had passed since Yhwach has been dead. It was three days before Rukia was made a captain did this event happen. It all started when a certain father was becoming late for a training session with his daughter.

The captains and lieutenants were having a joint meeting about what they should do with the increase of Hollow activity in the outskirts of the Seireitei. Head-Captain Kyōraku was assigning each squads patrol duty when everyone felt a sharp increase of spiritual pressure coming from the other side of the door. The pressure wasn't large enough to cause any damage, but it did seem to have a little aggravation in it. Kyōraku momentarily paused the meeting to ask, "Does anyone know whose spiritual pressure that is?"

Renji shared a look with Rukia before he sighed, standing from his bowed place behind his captain. "I know who." He turned his head to the doors and yelled a single word, "Ichika!"

A second later, someone 'magically' appeared in front of him with her arms crossed. Ichika was a young girl with dark red hair inherited from her father, which was bound in a ponytail that looked a lot like her father's when he was younger. However, she inherited her mother's knowing and trouble-making eyes and face shape.

"You're a minute late, Daddy," she insisted childishly.

"The meeting is running late because a captain was a few minutes late." Ichika turned to the Eleventh captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, because she automatically knew it was him. "Give me five more minutes," Renji insisted after he knelt to her height. "We can even go longer to make up for starting late."

That peeked the young child's curiosity. "Two hours?"

"Thirty minutes."

"One thirty?"

"One."

Ichika held her pinkie out in awaiting. "Promise?"

Renji kissed his little girl's forehead as he latched his pinkie with hers. "Promise. Go wait outside. I'll be out in a bit."

Little Ika smiled as she nodded her head enthusiastically. She kissed her father's cheek before running over to her mother to do the same to her. She hurried out of the room right after waving goodbye to the other captains, her spiritual pressure disappearing.

Kyōraku sighed in "Lieutenant Abarai, you may be dismissed. Your captain can inform you on the rest of the details later."

Renji bowed his head to signal his thanks before leaving the room. He closed the door behind him before addressing his mischievously smiling daughter, "I told you it would work."

* * *

For about thirty minutes the father-daughter duo practiced on the daughter's fighting skills. They both were about to attack each other when they felt a surge of negative spiritual pressure surrounding them from afar. Letting his father instincts kick in, Renji scooped his little girl in his arms and placed her in one of the hollows of the tree trunk. He removed his bandanna (the one he usually wore to cover his eyebrow tattoos) and tied it around Ichika's head to cover her eyes.

"You are not allowed to take this off unless me or someone you know tells you you can." Renji demanded almost harmfully as he situated her deeper into the hole so the enemy couldn't see her and to where she was laying on her back. "If you peak, I swear you will be grounded so long everyone will wonder who you are when the punishment is over."

Ichika held out her arm in the general area that she knew her father was and extended out her pinkie. "Promise me you won't get hurt."

Renji hesitated at this unofficial pledge. He latched his pinkies with hers like he did before and vowed, "I promise I will live to protect you again." He kissed his daughter's forehead before parting ways with her.

Ichika waited in silence and anticipation as she crouched as deep as she could into the trunk so the enemy couldn't see her. A few seconds later Little Ika felt multiple horrendous spiritual pressures surround her father. One by one the creatures attacked her father, and one by one the creatures were killed, but not at the same rate that they were attacking.

She waited and waited for him to use his Bankai, but he never did. His spiritual pressure didn't rise one bit, instead it stayed at it's usual level. Ichika could tell he was getting hurt by the way his pressure wavered every few seconds. However, he never made a sound when he got hurt, but the enemies shouted or cried before they were killed. Then, Ichika realized something.

He was doing that so she wouldn't worry.

Soon though, after an enemy was killed, more came to take their place. Finally, after waiting for what felt like a century, Renji used his Bankai, but his power was weak. He started killing the enemy quicker, but he was still getting injured. While the number of enemies dwindled, Renji's strength dwindled down just as fast.

As soon as the last enemy was killed, Renji fainted in that same second. Not realizing that she had kept her emotions in, Ichika began to cry her sorrows as she felt her father's presence slowly die. Her heart ached at the thought of losing her father.

Suddenly, she felt a handful of spiritual pressures surround her father, but they were different from the ones that attacked him. They were soul-reapers. One more appeared, and that was the one she recognized. Ichika could hear him order the other soul-reapers to take her father to the Fourth Squad.

The last soul-reaper stayed and began searching the area for something. Ichika waited and waited and eventually he came to the tree she was at. Her vision was no longer black as her father's bandanna was removed from her face. The first thing she saw was her concerned uncle's face.

"Little Ika, what are you doing in there?"

"Is my daddy going to be okay?" Ichika whined, concerned for her beloved father. "Is he going to live?"

Byakuya sighed, but answered affirmatively, "Your father will live because he is determined to get stronger to protect you." Byakuya lifted the girl out of the tree and held her in his arms. "Let's go see him."

* * *

The uncle-niece duo appeared at the Fourth Squad a few minutes after Renji was sent into a room for treatment. The new captain, Isane Kotetsu, assured Byakuya and Ichika that Renji was safe. Renji miraculously gained consciousness as soon as he arrived. He informed Isane, quite weekly, that he defeated all of the Arrancars, the enemies that attacked him, so there should be no need for the patrol anymore. Before that he had requested somebody to find his daughter and bring her to him so he would know she was safe.

After the last statement was made, Ichika jumped out of her uncle's arm and ran down a particular hallway. Nobody bothered trying to stop her because they all knew where she was heading.

Less than ten minutes later, Vice-Captain Rukia Kuchiki arrived at the squad after learning what happened to her husband. She escorted to the room, and, despite the situation, she smiled at the scene before her.

Renji, who was all bandaged up, was laying on the bed asleep while he had his arms wrapped around his little girl, whose was also sleeping with her head resting on his chest.

Rukia kissed her daughter's cheek and then her husband's just as affectionately. She sat at the chair next to them and held Renji's hand while whispering, "I know it's a really bad time to say this, but happy birthday Renji."

 **The End.**


End file.
